Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announces $117.2 million in construction has taken place in city during the first quarter of 2017

Featured: The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley honored the City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management and the United Way of South Texas on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 with its Distinguished Community Engagement Partner Awards. Back row, from left, are Jeanette Ahlenius, Board Member, United Way of South Texas; Janie Chapa, Recycling Coordinator, City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management; Dalinda Cárdenas, Administrative Specialist, City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management; Ramiro Gómez, Director, City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management; and Dr. Dean Kyne, UTRGV Assistant Professor of Sociology. Front, from left, are Fidencio Mercado, Board Member, United Way of South Texas and UTRGV Clinical Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling; Celene González, Accounts Manager, City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management; Dr. Doris Mendiola, Data and Research Manager, UTRGV Community Engagement and Assessment; and Cris Trejo, UTRGV Assistant Vice President for Community Engagement and Assessment.

Photograph By PAUL CHOUY

As the multi-million dollar Edinburg Transit Terminal gets ready for its official groundbreaking at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 12, 2017, total construction activities in the city have reached more than $117 million during the first three months of the year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. That level is almost double the $65 million figure reached from January through March 2016. For the month of March 2017 – the latest figures available from the city – Edinburg saw construction permits issued for work valued at more than $14.6 million, with new homes and new businesses leading the way, at $4.55 million and $4.51 million, respectively. Those totals do not include the value of any building-related activities at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the UTRGV School of Medicine in Edinburg because the state government, not the city, oversees all construction at the Edinburg campus. The building permits do not include the value of the land for the homes and buildings. The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related. In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg, through the Code Enforcement Department, to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits.

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Edinburg Economic Development Corporation announces $117.2 million in construction has taken place in city during the first quarter of 2017

As a multi-million dollar Edinburg Transit Terminal gets ready for its official groundbreaking at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 12, 2017, total construction activities in the city have reached more than $117 million during the first three months of the year, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced.

That level is almost double the $65 million figure reached from January through March 2016.

For the month of March 2017 – the latest figures available from the city – Edinburg saw construction permits issued for work valued at more than $14.6 million, with new homes and new businesses leading the way, at $4.55 million and $4.51 million, respectively.

Those totals do not include the value of any building-related activities at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley and the UTRGV School of Medicine in Edinburg because the state government, not the city, oversees all construction at the Edinburg campus.

The building permits do not include the value of the land for the homes and buildings.

The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council.

In general, a building permit is legal permission given by the City of Edinburg, through the Code Enforcement Department, to erect, construct, renovate, maintain, or conduct any other specified activity on any building or structure, or on any installations or facilities therein. The term “building permit” includes but is not limited to building permits, electrical permits, mechanical permits, and plumbing permits.

GROUNDBREAKING SET FOR 10 A.M. FRIDAY FOR EDINBURG TRANSIT TERMINAL

The latest construction project in the city will take place at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 12, 2017, at the site of the $2.7 million Edinburg Transit Terminal, which is being built by the City of Edinburg. It will be home to Valley Metro, which is the city’s transit provider, and serve as a regional hub to Edinburg.

The Edinburg Transit Terminal, which will be located between West University Drive and 6th Street, “will be the first-of-its-kind in Edinburg,” Mayor García said. “Once complete, the facility will serve to combine public and private transit service with office space, restaurants, and a potential rail line, as well as parking levels, and bring traffic and life closer to our town square after 5 p.m.”

Working with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, the Edinburg City Council and the Edinburg EDC secured a $2.7 million federal grant to build the 35,000 square-foot Edinburg Transit Terminal, whose address of 607 West University Drive will link Edinburg City Hall, UT-Rio Grande Valley, and the Hidalgo County Courthouse.

As part of the city’s required local match for the federal grant, the EEDC donated a 1.6 acre tract of land to serve as the site for the transit facility.

Valley Metro, a service of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council, provides public transportation in urbanized and non-urbanized areas through its transit department throughout deep South Texas, including Edinburg,

MOST VALUABLE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS FOR MARCH 2017

For March 2017, total construction activities in Edinburg totaled $14,666,991 compared with $19,710,781 in March 2016, according to the city’s Code Enforcement Department.

The top construction projects in Edinburg for March 2017, not including the value of the land, are:

For the month of March 2017, building permits were issued for 44 new single-family residences, valued at $4,551,689, compared with 48 new single-family residences, valued at $5,348,013, during March 2016.

Year-to-date (January through March 2017), building permits were issued for 122 new single-family residences, valued at $14,146,778, compared with 105 new single-family residences, valued at $15,324,590, from January through March 2016.

In addition, for the month of March 2017, building permits were issued for 90 additions/remodels of single-family residences, valued at $571,371, compared with 83 additions/remodels of single-family residences, valued at $508,415, in March 2016.

Year-to-date (January through March 2017), building permits were issued for 189 additions/remodels of single-family residences, valued at $1,489,428, compared with 177 additions/remodels of single-family residences, valued at $1,079,069, from January through March 2016.

Multi-family residences – which range from two-unit duplexes to complexes of five or more units – totaled 42 buildings, representing 84 units, valued at $3,835,185, were approved for construction in March 2017. By comparison, there were 29 multi-family residences, representing 62 units, valued at $3,387,224, issued building permits in March 2016.

Year-to-date (January through March 2017), building permits were issued for 66 multi-family residences, representing 173 units, valued at $5,915,344, compared with 59 multi-family residences, representing 266 units, valued at $15,176,070, from January through March 2016.

The top categories in Edinburg for March 2017, which led to the total figure of $14,666,991, were:

$4,551,689 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$4,511,250 – Commercial New Construction;
$3,835,185 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$1,111,496 – Commercial Alterations;
$571,371 – Residential Alterations;
$86,000 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); and
$0 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine.)

The top categories in Edinburg during March 2016, which led to the total figure of $19,710,781, were:

$8,749,729 – Commercial Alterations;
$5,348,013 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$3,387,224 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$1,028,400 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$686,000 – Commercial New Construction;
$508,415 – Residential Alterations; and
$3,000 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine).

The top categories in Edinburg for the months of January through March 2017, which led to the total figure of $117,298.222, were:

$80,000,000 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$14,146,788 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$10,631,694 – Commercial New Construction;
$5,915,344– Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$4,324,778 – Commercial Alterations;
$1,489,428 – Residential Alterations; and
$790,200– Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine); and

During the previous year, for the months of January through March 2016, the top categories in Edinburg, which led to the total figure of $65,173,203, were:

$20,009,000 – Commercial New Construction;
$15,324,590 – Single-Family Residences New Construction;
$15,176,070 – Multi-Family Residences New Construction;
$9,952,574 – Commercial Alterations;
$2,603,500 – Non-Taxable Alterations (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine);
$1,079,069 – Residential Alterations; and
$1,028,400 – Non-Taxable New (government, religious, but not including the value of construction activities at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley or its School of Medicine).

MARCH 2017 CITY BUILDING PERMITS, $100,000 AND HIGHER

Single-Family Residences New Construction

For March 2017, there were 44 single-family residences issued building permits by the city.

The building permits, which do not include the price of the lot, ranged from $4,400 to $285,000, and represented a total value of $4,551,689.

Of the 44 single-family residences for which building permits were issued, 24 of them were for construction each valued at $100,000 or higher.

The $100,000+ building permits follow by value of the construction, name of the owner(s), address, and subdivision. The permits do not include the value of the lot.

For March 2017, building permits were issued for 22 multi-family residences new construction/addition/remodel, with 19 of those projects valued at $100,000 or higher (not including the price of the lot).

Work on those new facilities represented a combined value of $3,835,185 for that month.

That building permits for the 19 structures valued at $100,000 0r higher follow by value of the construction, name of the owner, address, and subdivision:

For March 2017, there were six non-taxable additions/remodels issued building permits by the city.

Those six building permits, which do not include the price of the lot, represent a combined value of work of $86,000.

None of those projects involved a building permit valued at $100,000 or more.

Non-Taxable New Construction

For March 2017, there were no building permits issued for non-taxable new construction.

UTRGV HONORS CITY OF EDINBURG SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT, UNITED WAY OF SOUTH TEXAS AT COMMUNITY PARTNERS AWARDS CEREMONY

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Office of Community Engagement and Assessment presented its Distinguished Community Engagement Partner Award to the City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management and the United Way of South Texas for providing learning and volunteer opportunities to students.

Representatives from both organizations received their awards at a ceremony Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at the PlainsCapital Bank Theater in the Student Union on the Edinburg Campus. These awards are given to an individual or an organization that offers engaged learning opportunities for students while addressing community needs.

The City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management last fall worked with Dr. Dean Kyne, Assistant Professor of Sociology, to develop and design two service-learning courses in environmental sociology. Students in Kyne’s class met with city waste management officials to learn about current waste management operations and what challenges the department faced. The students then had to do research and develop solutions that promote sustainable solid waste management.

“This partnership has showcased a noble community partnership that provided service-learning opportunities to the students,” Kyne said. “Students are provided with the learning and development opportunities … to learn the real-life problems the Rio Grande Valley is facing, to generate creative solutions to the problems and to present solutions to the practitioners and policymakers for sustainable environmental management.”

Celene González, Accounts Manager for the City of Edinburg Solid Waste Management, said the department was “deeply humbled and honored” to receive the award and were impressed with the students’ research and presentations.

“To say this collaboration was a remarkable accomplishment would be an understatement,” González said. “As a result, we have agreed to maintain our partnership and are in the planning stages of another project which will look at debris management after disasters in the Rio Grande Valley.”

UTRGV and United Way of South Texas developed electronic platforms that allow organizations to post volunteer opportunities and students to sign up for them. The United Way platform is called Volunteer South Texas and the UTRGV platform is called the UTRGV Engagement Zone.

“By launching these two platforms simultaneously, local nonprofit agencies are directly connected to the university community,” said Nick Weimer, Assistant Dean for Administration for UTRGV Student Academic Success. “When a nonprofit agency posts a ‘need for volunteers,’ students, faculty and staff can opt to respond to the ‘need’ and be involved with a service learning opportunity.”

Jeanette Ahlenius, who serves on the United Way of South Texas’ Board of Directors, praised UTRGV students for donating their time and talents to serve their community and encouraged them to stay engaged in community service.

“We want you to be a part of the community,” Ahlenius said. “We want you to be engaged in places where you’re passionate.”

In a separate ceremony, the university honored the United Way of Northern Cameron County and the United Way of Southern Cameron County on Tuesday for their work in helping launch the Engagement Zone.